


It Didn't Count

by thefriendyouleftinthehallway



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: (my specialty genre yay), (referenced and AU of), (takes place during), Alternate Universe - Canon, Dialogue Heavy, Episode: s03e22 The Most Toys, Episode: s06e26-s07e01 Descent Parts 1-2, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Lore (Star Trek) Being an Asshole, Wordcount: 500-1.000, if thats what i even mean, it's 1am why do i gotta do tags ffs, slightly dark data
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefriendyouleftinthehallway/pseuds/thefriendyouleftinthehallway
Summary: Data and Lore aren’t so different, after all. AU where Data didn’t get beamed up in time for the transporter to catch the disruptor’s fire in 'The Most Toys', and the Soong brothers get talking some time during 'Descent'.
Relationships: Data & Lore (Star Trek)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	It Didn't Count

“Have you killed yet, brother?” Lore asked. 

“You are discounting the Borg,” Data pointed out. 

“ _ Yes _ ,” Lore said, almost annoyed. 

“Why?” Data asked, inquisitive. He sounded almost childish in his curiosity. 

“It didn’t count,” Lore scoffed. 

“Then, by your reasoning, I have not,” Data said. 

Lore sighed and shook his head, looking somewhat disappointed. Though he hadn’t expected, he had  _ wanted  _ a different answer. 

“I have, however, been presented with that inquiry before.”

Lore looked up, somewhat intrigued. “Who asked you a thing like that?”

“Kivas Fajo,” Data said succinctly. 

“Don’t know him,” Lore tossed. “What did he say?”

“‘Tell me, Data, have you killed yet?’” Data imitated Fajo’s voice as he quoted him. 

“So? What did you say?” Lore asked. 

“I answered ‘no’, though I saw fit to warn him of my capacity for lethal force,” Data answered. 

Lore huffed a laugh. “ _ Warn  _ him.” (Lore seemed to find this phrasing amusing.) “And how did he respond to this  _ warning _ ?”

“He did not heed it. He was exceedingly surprised when I deemed it within my benefit to fire on him with a Varon-T disruptor.”

The bubbling of laughter that Lore released as he sat up was more a reaction of surprise than amusement, though it came from both. “I’ve always wanted to use one of those,” he said. “What was it like?”

Data was silent. 

“That good, huh?” Lore laughed. “Another thing… you told me by my reasoning, you  _ hadn’t  _ killed.”

Data nodded. He paused for a moment to think, then spoke: “Your reasoning, I have ascertained, is that any beings which you consider to be  _ lower _ , ‘don’t count’.”

Once again, Lore let out that surprised laughter. “You’re full of surprises, Data,” he said. “I fear I’ve seriously misjudged you.”

Data cocked his head to one side, blinked. “In what way?”

“You’re not quite as boring as I thought you were,” Lore said. 

Data furrowed his brows and looked down. He seemed not to know what to make of the comment. 

“So,” Lore started, “What was it like?”

“When I initially fired, the blast struck Fajo, and he froze in position and screamed. After approximately ten seconds, his particles distributed, the process of which took approximately three seconds--”

Lore, who had been shaking his head, stood abruptly. “ _ No _ ,” he said sternly. “That… is what  _ happened _ . I want you to tell me what it was  _ like _ .”

“It was… effective,” Data said. 

“No,” Lore said again. “Feelings, brother. Make it emotive.”

“I do not experience--”

“Don’t you? Haven’t I shown you feeling? Or did you already know it?”

Data looked down slightly, blinking again. 

“What was it  _ like _ ,” Lore pressed again. 

Data looked up, his eyes unblinkingly meeting his brother’s, and a beat passed. “It was… satisfying.”

Lore smiled. “Boy, I don’t know what old Soong was thinking when he made  _ another _ one, but it can’t have been anything profound.”

Data cocked his head and looked, questioning, expectant, at his brother. 

Lore grimaced. “You and I aren’t so different, are we?”

Data didn’t respond. 

**Author's Note:**

> lmao it's 1AM, I'm ready for the sweet sweep of death, and I STILL don't know why I keep writing for TNG when I know way more about TOS. but I'm still precious for comments and kudos and love in general because I can't see my sweetheart in fUcking isolation. yeet me into hell.


End file.
